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The New Day has become one of the most hated WWE tag teams. There's a case to be made that no active tag team worldwide has attracted the ire and disdain that Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods have attained. Their betrayal of the beloved Big E has led to the fans turning their back on the duo and intensely booing them.
Kingston and Woods have breathed new life into their tag team by transforming into two of the most despised villains on the Monday Night RAW roster. The duo escaped from a stale babyface run and became one of the most must-see acts in professional wrestling.
What's next for The New Day in WWE? Without further ado, let's look at five potential directions for Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods in 2025:
Charlotte Flair to return and wrestle a CURRENT CHAMPION?
#5. Harlem Heat vs. The New Day at WrestleMania 41, former WWE Champion Big E returns as special guest referee
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Roughly two years ago, there was speculation about a dream match between The New Day and Harlem Heat at WrestleMania. Booker T had cast a critical light on the duo in NXT, and Kingston told Fightful that he'd be in favor of wrestling a match involving himself and Xavier Woods against the 10-time WCW World Tag Team Champions.
WWE could kick off a feud between the WCW legends and The New Day by giving Booker T and Stevie Ray a lifetime achievement award in tag team excellence, leading to Kofi and Xavier interrupting the ceremony. Kingston and Woods could mention that Harlem Heat was an iconic tag team from a wrestling promotion that went out of business over 20 years ago and lost the Monday Night Wars. Citing their vast contributions to World Wrestling Entertainment, they could argue that ya boys were more deserving of being recognized for their tag team excellence.
The drama could be heightened by adding Big E to the story, making him the special guest referee or enforcer for what can arguably be the biggest tag team dream match in WrestleMania history. The former WWE Champion could side with The New Day or Harlem Heat or call the bout down the middle. If he sides with his old faction, that would signal a heel turn for the big man and provide a twist to the storyline.
Booker T recently returned to the ring for his Texas-based wrestling promotion, Reality of Wrestling, coming out of retirement to defeat Zilla Fatu in a handicap match at ROW Battle To The Bell on January 11, 2025. Before that bout, Booker last wrestled in the Men's Royal Rumble Match in 2023. Stevie Ray last wrestled at Summer Of Champions IV on August 12, 2017. The brothers last fought as a pair in 2015. In 2022, there were rumblings of Harlem Heat having one more match, but it was against an AEW tag team.
Harlem Heat has never competed at any WWE event, but hopefully, that will change in time for WrestleMania 41.
#4. The New Day vs. Alpha Academy on WWE RAW
It's easy to predict that a match between New Day and Alpha Academy will come sooner rather than later in 2025. During RAW's debut on Netflix, Chad Gable's former friends joined Gabriel 'Fluffy' Iglesias in disparaging Kofi and Woods. Kingston and Xavier had rudely interrupted Fluffy's interview, leading to a "New Day sucks" chant from Iglesias. Akira Tozawa clapped along while Otis said, "They suck!"
The New Day is advertised to "return to action" for the upcoming episode of Monday Night RAW. Judging by Woods and Kofi's recent interaction on the red brand, it's fair to assume they'll be battling Alpha Academy in some capacity sometime soon. The 12-time tag team champions were likely annoyed with Otis and Akira joining along with Fluffy's mockery of them, which may lead to a future tag team match and/or singles bout featuring members of each group.
The November 25, 2024, episode of Monday Night RAW was the last time New Day and Alpha Academy competed against one another in a tag team match. Tozawa scored the pinfall victory over Woods in that match, securing the win for his team. Kofi and Woods could make up for that loss by defeating Otis and/or Tozawa on a future episode of the red brand, possibly as soon as this upcoming Monday.
The New Day qualified for last year's WrestleMania tag team ladder match by defeating Alpha Academy on March 18, 2024. Perhaps, in 2025, Kofi and Woods will look to gain another victory from Otis and Tozawa.
#3. New Day seeks their 13th tag team championship reign in WWE
The New Day is arguably the most decorated and accomplished tag team in WWE history. They hold the record for the longest tag title reign in the company's history, staying champions for an unprecedented 483 days. As a team, Kofi and Woods are officially recognized as 12-time champions, holding the SmackDown tag straps seven times, the RAW titles four times, and the NXT belts once.
In 2025, New Day can end their championship drought. Kofi and Xavier haven't worn tag team gold in a WWE ring since dropping the NXT Tag Team Championship to Gallus at Vengeance Day 2023. They haven't held tag straps on the main roster since dropping the RAW Tag Team Titles to Omos and AJ Styles at WrestleMania 37 in April 2021.
Despite their lack of championship success in recent years, The New Day appears to be on the rise with their reinvented heel persona. Their skill and bad attitude will likely lead to them crossing paths with the current World Tag Team Champions, War Raiders, sometime in 2025.
New Day has declared that winning gold is a goal for the duo in the new year. Only time will tell if they can attain their 13th reign and recover from their title drought.
#2. Xavier Woods' singles aspirations
It's no secret that Xavier Woods' character has a chip on his shoulder for his lack of championship success in the singles division. Months before the duo made a full heel turn, Woods had a verbal outburst during a backstage segment with Kofi Kingston and the LWO, seemingly stemming from Xavier not being a World Champion in WWE, unlike Kofi and Rey Mysterio.
The King of the Ring 2021 winner predicted that he'd be the Intercontinental Champion by 2022. However, Xavier still hasn't held a WWE singles title. It's clear that winning the IC strap is a major career goal of Xavier, but for now, that goal is beyond his grasp.
Kingston can be a true ally to Woods this year by assisting him in his championship aspirations and helping him during title matches. Kofi showed selfless loyalty to his New Day brethren in 2024 by giving Woods his IC title shot against then-champion Jey Uso. In 2025, Kofi can potentially help Xavier achieve his dreams.
Woods has yet to challenge for a singles World Title in WWE, but that could change in 2025. Even in defeat, Xavier could raise his stock by having an impressive one-on-one encounter for the World Heavyweight Championship.
#1. Kofi Kingston and/or Xavier Woods look to qualify for the Men's Money in the Bank Ladder Match
The only member of The New Day to be successful in the Money in the Bank Ladder Match is Big E, who won the briefcase in 2021 and successfully cashed it in on Bobby Lashley. However, he was kicked out of the faction last month. Consequently, no member of the group's current iteration has ever been Mr. Money In The Bank.
Kofi Kingston has participated in seven Money In The Bank Ladder Matches, beginning in 2009 at WrestleMania 25. His most recent appearance was in 2018, and he was unsuccessful in winning much like his other six attempts.
In contrast to Kofi and Big E, Xavier Woods never competed in the multi-man match for the coveted MITB briefcase. This could be the year when Woods finally makes his mark in the Money In The Bank Ladder Match. His tag team partner, Kofi Kingston, may also see himself competing for the same prize this year. If both wrestlers are booked to compete against one another for such a highly-coveted prize, cracks in The New Day could reemerge on WWE programming.
